Traveler cleaner



Filed April 27. 1966 IFIG.3 lI-'|G.4

United States Patent 3,400,529 TRAVELER CLEANER Kurt Constantine Chilpan, Seneca, S.C., assignor to Maremont Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 27, I966, Ser. No. 545,760 6 Claims. (Cl. 57-57) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A traveler cleaner having an elongate arcuate blade extending throughout its length in generally concentric and parallel relationship to the path of movement of the traveler being cleaned, and provided with a cutting edge at one of its ends.

This invention relates generally to spinning and twisting and more specifically to an improved traveler cleaner to assist in removing lint from a traveler as it accumulates thereon.

The problem of traveler loading with lint during the spinning and twisting operation is one that has confronted the textile industry for many years. There have been various attempts to reduce or entirely eliminate such loading. However, these have been only partially successful since prior art cleaners did not act upon the traveler for periods of time long enough to achieve the cleaning desired. Generally, the prior art constructions have been comprised of a planar member extending toward the path of the traveler and achieving in essence a momentary point C011? tact with the lint carried thereby. The short interval of time provided for by a point contact during which time the cleaner acts upon the lint is insufficient to achieve the desired result.

It is therefore the primary objective of the invention to overcome the above difliculties by providing for a novel traveler cleaner in which the blade portion having a cutting edge at one end thereof is formed in an arc that substantially conforms to the curvature of the ring associated therewith and being so positioned relative to the ring that the ring and cleaner are substantially concentric along adjacent surfaces.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the cleaner construction according to the invention and the ring and traveler associated therewith;

FIG. 1 is a view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1 with the traveler being slightly repositioned in the interest of clarity;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the cleaner according to the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral generally denotes the invention wherein the ring rail 12 of the spinning frame has mounted therein a ring holder 14 which in turn carries the usual spinning ring having a vertical annular web 16 and a horizontal upper flange 18 having the usual traveler 20 mounted freely to rotate thereon.

Turning now to the novel traveler cleaner 22, the same is formed of relatively rigid sheet material and includes a horizontal supporting base 24 having an elongated opening 26 therethrough. A suitable fastener 28 extending through the opening retains the cleaner in its fixed position with respect to the ring and traveler. For best results, it is desirable that the cleaner be positioned as closely as possible to the traveler without contacting the same.

The blade of the cleaner is comprised of a first portion 3,400,529 Patented Sept. 10, 1968 ice 30 extending upwardly from the base and a second portion 32 extending outwardly in a substantially horizontal direction terminating in a sharp cutting edge 34 which is sloped at a small angle from the vertical in order to assist in cutting the lint from the traveler as it moves in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. As can be clearly seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the horizontally extending blade portion 32 is formed in an arcuate configuration so as-to conform substantially to the curvature of the ring that is associated therewith. Obviously, as the diameter of the ring varies, a corresponding variation will be made in the arcuate configuration of the blade. It is intended that the cleaner be mounted and retained in concentric relation to the ring, preferably the outer diameter of the upper flange 18, as by use of a suitable guage or spacer that may be positioned between the cleaner and the ring. In the event a traveler of different size is subsequently employed, it is a relatively simple operation to reposition the cleaner to the desired gauge setting by merely loosening the fastener 28 and sliding the cleaner along the elongated opening 26.

Most of the lint 36 (FIG. 2) is cut away by the cutting edge 34, however, in some cases it has been noted that a few fibers escape over the top of the cutting edge and are subsequently sheared away by the top edge 38 which is upwardly inclined from the cutting edge. Apparently the shearing of these fibers by this edge is due to a combination of the camming or wedging action imposed on the fibers by this surface and the relatively high operating speed of the traveler, however, in any event it has been found that the function of this surface contributes substantially to the high degree of cleaning that is achieved.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a novel traveler cleaner which is concentric with the ring throughout the extent of the blade, thereby exerting a cleaning action on the traveler for a substantially longer period of time than in prior art cleaners. In addition to the initial mechanical cutting of the lint by the cutting edge 34, the

concentric arrangement of the cleaner with the ring assists in confining the air normally displaced by the traveler to each side during its flight and due to such confinement, the air tends to force out the short lint remaining inside the traveler and maintain the same in a clean condition.

Having described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is understood that other constructions and configurations, obvious to those skilled in the art, are incorporated within the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A traveler cleaner for use with a ring-mounted traveler, including:

a blade having a free end provided with and means for retaining said blade in a predetermined fixed position adjacent the path of traveler movement;

said blade being formed in an are substantially conforming to the curvature of the path of traveler movement and in said predetermined position being substantially concentric therewith, whereby said cleaner exerts a cleaning action throughout the full length of said blade.

2. A traveler cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blade has an upper edge inclined upwardly from said cutting edge.

3. A traveler cleaner as claimed in claim 2 wherein said retaining means includes a horizontal base portion having an elongated opening therethrough for adjusting the position of the cleaner with respect to the path of traveler movement.

a cutting edge;

3 4. A traveler cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cutting edge of said blade is inclined from the vertical.

5. A traveler cleaner comprising: a base portion adapted to be mounted adjacent the path of movement of a ring-mounted traveler; and a second portion carried by said base portion and having an elongate arcuate surface adapted to extend in adjacent, radially-spaced, generally-concentric and parallel relation to the path of traveler movement. 6. A traveler cleaner as claimed in claim 5 wherein said second portion further includes an upstanding cutting edge 10 adjacent one end of said surface.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Osborn 5757 Warren 5757 XR Alleman 57-57 Warren.

Francis 57-57 JOHN PETRAKES, Primary Examiner. 

